Julie Ross

Julie Ross serves as the Paul and Dorothea Torgersen Dean of Engineering at Virginia Tech. She previously held roles as Dean and Constellation Professor of Information Technology and Engineering at the University of Maryland, Baltimore County (UMBC). Ross earned her B.S. in Chemical Engineering from Purdue University and her Ph.D. in Chemical Engineering from Rice University.

Her research focuses on fluid mechanics' role in infection formation within the cardiovascular system, securing $14.14M in external funding ($11.17M as PI). She is a Fellow of the American Institute of Medical and Biological Engineering and has received the American Council on Education Fellowship.

• Leadership Roles: Special Advisor to Virginia Tech President Tim Sands, Chair of Chemical Engineering at UMBC, and member of NSF’s Engineering Directorate Advisory Committee.
• Awards: Highlighted in the Society for Women Engineers Magazine’s 2020 ‘Women Engineering Leaders in Academe,’ and recognized by the 2022 Virginia ACE Conference.

Ross leads Virginia Tech’s regional expansion initiatives, including strategic planning for Blacksburg, Roanoke, and the Washington D.C. metro area. She also chairs NASA’s STEM Engagement Committee (2023–2024) and previously served on the Global Engineering Deans’ Council (2016–2022).